| California State Assembly | |
|---|---|
| California State Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | Lower house |
| Term limits | 6 terms (12 years) |
| History | |
| New session started | December 5, 2022 |
| Leadership | |
| Speaker | Robert Rivas (D) since June 30, 2023 |
| Speaker pro tempore | Josh Lowenthal (D) since December 2, 2024 |
| Majority Leader | Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D) since November 22, 2023 |
| Minority Leader | James Gallagher (R) since February 8, 2022 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 80 |
 | |
| Political groups | Majority: Democratic (60)Minority: Republican (19)Vacant: (1) |
| Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Article 4, California Constitution |
| Salary | $114,877/year + $211 per diem |
| Elections | |
| Voting system | Nonpartisan blanket primary |
| Last election | November 5, 2024 |
| Next election | November 3, 2026 |
| Redistricting | California Citizens Redistricting Commission |
| Motto | |
| Legislatorum est justas leges condere ("It is the duty of legislators to enact just laws.") | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| State Assembly Chamber California State Capitol Sacramento, California | |
| Website | |
| California State Assembly | |
| Rules | |
| Standing Rules of the Assembly | |
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The Assembly consists of 80 members, with each member representing at least 465,000 people. Due to a combination of the state's large population and a legislature that has not been expanded since the ratification of the 1879 Constitution, the Assembly has the largest population-per-representative ratio of any state lower house and second largest of any legislative lower house in the United States after the federal House of Representatives.
Members of the California State Assembly are generally referred to using the titles Assemblyman (for men), Assemblywoman (for women), or Assemblymember (gender-neutral). In the current legislative session, Democrats have a three-fourths supermajority of 60 seats, while Republicans control a minority of 19 seats.
Leadership
The speaker presides over the State Assembly in the chief leadership position, controlling the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The speaker is nominated by the caucus of the majority party and elected by the full Assembly. Other leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each party's strength in the chamber.
The current speaker is Democrat Robert Rivas (29th–Hollister). The majority leader is Democrat Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (4th–Winters), while the minority leader is Republican James Gallagher (3rd–Yuba City).
Terms of office
Members are allowed, by current term limits, to serve 12 years in the legislature in any combination of four-year State Senate or two-year State Assembly terms. However, members elected to the Legislature prior to 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years). Few, if any, legislators remain from this era, though the restriction could affect future candidates running after a hiatus from office.
Every two years, all 80 seats in the Assembly are subject to election. This is in contrast to the State Senate, in which only half of its 40 seats are subject to election every two years.
Meeting chamber
The chamber's green tones are based on the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The dais rests along a wall shaped like an "E", with its central projection housing the rostrum. Along the cornice appears a portrait of Abraham Lincoln and a Latin quotation: legislatorum est justas leges condere ("It is the duty of legislators to pass just laws"). Almost every decorating element is identical to the Senate Chamber.
Candidate qualifications
To run for the Assembly, a candidate must be a United States citizen and a registered voter in the district at the time nomination papers are issued, and meet the criteria of the term limits described above. According to Article 4, Section 2(c) of the California Constitution, the candidate must have one year of residency in the legislative district and California residency for three years.
Employees
The chief clerk of the Assembly, a position that has existed since the Assembly's creation, is responsible for many administrative duties. The chief clerk is the custodian of all Assembly bills and records and publishes the Assembly Daily Journal, the minutes of floor sessions, as well as the Assembly Daily File, the Assembly agenda. The chief clerk is the Assembly's parliamentarian, and in this capacity gives advice to the presiding officer on matters of parliamentary procedure. The chief clerk is also responsible for engrossing and enrolling of measures, and the transmission of legislation to the governor.
The Assembly also employs the position of chaplain, a position that has existed in both houses since the first legislative session back in 1850. Currently, the chaplain of the Assembly is Imam Mohammad Yasir Khan, the first chaplain historically that practices Islam.
The position of sergeant-at-arms of the Assembly has existed since 1849; Samuel N. Houston was the first to hold this post, overseeing one deputy. The sergeant-at-arms is mostly tasked with law enforcement duties, but customarily also has a ceremonial and protocol role. Today, some fifty employees are part of the Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms Office.
Current session
Composition
| ↓ | |
| 60 | 19 |
| Democratic | Republican |
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| End of previous legislature | 62 | 17 | 80 | 1 |
| Begin | 60 | 19 | 80 | 1 |
| Latest voting share | 75% | 24% | ||
Past composition of the Assembly
Main article: Political party strength in CaliforniaOfficers
| Position | Name | Party | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Robert Rivas | Democratic | 29th–Hollister | |
| Speaker pro Tempore | Josh Lowenthal | Democratic | 69th–Long Beach | |
| Assistant Speaker pro Tempore | Stephanie Nguyen | Democratic | 10th–Elk Grove | |
| Majority Leader | Cecilia Aguiar-Curry | Democratic | 4th–Winters | |
| Assistant Majority Leader | Vacant | Democratic | Vacant | |
| Assistant Majority Leader for Policy and Research |
Dawn Addis | Democratic | 30th–Morro Bay | |
| Majority Whip | Matt Haney | Democratic | 17th–San Francisco | |
| Assistant Majority Whips | Vacant | Democratic | Vacant | |
| Vacant | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| Democratic Caucus Chair | Rick Chavez Zbur | Democratic | 51st–Los Angeles | |
| Republican Leader | James Gallagher | Republican | 3rd–Yuba City | |
| Republican Floor Leader | Heath Flora | Republican | 9th–Ripon | |
| Republican Deputy Floor Leader | Kate Sanchez | Republican | 71st–Trabuco Canyon | |
| Republican Chief Whip | Juan Alanis | Republican | 22nd–Modesto | |
| Republican Caucus Chair | Tom Lackey | Republican | 34th–Palmdale | |
| Republican Caucus Policy Chair | Joe Patterson | Republican | 5th–Rocklin | |
| Republican Caucus Communications Co-Chairs |
Diane Dixon | Republican | 72nd–Newport Beach | |
| Laurie Davies | Republican | 74th–Laguna Niguel | ||
| Chief Clerk | Sue Parker | |||
| Chief Sergeant-at-Arms | Cheryl R. Craft | |||
| Chaplain | Imam Mohammad Yasir Khan (Al Misbaah) | |||
The Chief Clerk, the Chief Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chaplains are not members of the Legislature.
Members
- † elected in a special election
Seating chart
Standing Committees
Current committees, chairs and vice chairs include:
| Committee | Chair | Vice Chair |
|---|---|---|
| Accountability and Administrative Review | Inactive | Inactive |
| Aging and Long-Term Care | Jasmeet Bains (D) | Devon Mathis (R) |
| Agriculture | Esmeralda Soria (D) | Juan Alanis (R) |
| Appropriations | Buffy Wicks (D) | Kate Sanchez (R) |
| Arts, Entertainment, Sports, & Tourism | Mike Gipson (D) | Greg Wallis (R) |
| Banking and Finance | Tim Grayson (D) | Phillip Chen (R) |
| Budget | Jesse Gabriel (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Business and Professions | Marc Berman (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Communications and Conveyance | Tasha Boerner (D) | Jim Patterson (R) |
| Education | Al Muratsuchi (D) | Megan Dahle (R) |
| Elections | Gail Pellerin (D) | Tom Lackey (R) |
| Emergency Management | Freddie Rodriguez (D) | Marie Waldron (R) |
| Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials | Eduardo Garcia (D) | Josh Hoover (R) |
| Governmental Organization | Blanca Rubio (D) | Tom Lackey (R) |
| Health | Mia Bonta (D) | Marie Waldron (R) |
| Higher Education | Mike Fong (D) | Tri Ta (R) |
| Housing and Community Development | Chris Ward (D) | Joe Patterson (R) |
| Human Services | Alex Lee (D) | Bill Essayli (R) |
| Insurance | Lisa Calderon (D) | Philip Chen (R) |
| Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy | Carlos Villapudua (D) | Josh Hoover (R) |
| Judiciary | Ash Kalra (D) | Diane Dixon (R) |
| Labor and Employment | Liz Ortega (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Local Government | Juan Carrillo (D) | Marie Waldron (R) |
| Military and Veterans Affairs | Pilar Schiavo (D) | Laurie Davies (R) |
| Natural Resources | Isaac Bryan (D) | Heath Flora (R) |
| Privacy and Consumer Protection | Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D) | Joe Patterson (R) |
| Public Employment and Retirement | Tina McKinnor (D) | Tom Lackey (R) |
| Public Safety | Kevin McCarty (D) | Juan Alanis (R) |
| Revenue and Taxation | Jacqui Irwin (D) | Tri Ta (R) |
| Rules | Blancha Pacheco (D) | Devon Mathis (R) |
| Transportation | Lori Wilson (D) | Laurie Davies (R) |
| Utilities and Energy | Cottie Petrie-Norris (D) | Jim Patterson (R) |
| Water, Parks, and Wildlife | Diane Papan (D) | Devon Mathis (R) |
Recent sessions
- California State Legislature, 1997–1998 session
- California State Legislature, 1999–2000 session
- California State Legislature, 2001–2002 session
- California State Legislature, 2003–2004 session
- California State Legislature, 2005–2006 session
- California State Legislature, 2007–2008 session
- California State Legislature, 2009–2010 session
- California State Legislature, 2011–2012 session
- California State Legislature, 2013–2014 session
- California State Legislature, 2015–2016 session
- California State Legislature, 2017–2018 session
- California State Legislature, 2019–2020 session
- California State Legislature, 2021–2022 session
See also
- Impeachment in California
- Bill (proposed law)
- California State Assembly districts
- 2018 California State Assembly election
- California State Capitol
- California State Capitol Museum
- California State Legislature
- California State Senate
- Districts in California
- List of California state legislatures
- List of speakers of the California State Assembly
- Members of the California State Legislature
References
- "California Constitution of 1879, prior to any amendments" (PDF). California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- "Officers of the California State Assembly | Assembly Internet". assembly.ca.gov. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- "California Constitution Article IV § 2". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- About Us, Office of the Chief Clerk, California State Assembly.
- History Archived June 16, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Sergeant-at-Arms Office, California State Assembly.
- Blood, Michael (May 21, 2024). "California lawmaker Vince Fong wins special election to finish ousted House Speaker McCarthy's term". The Associated Press. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- "Committees | California State Assembly". www.assembly.ca.gov. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
External links
- Official website of the California State Assembly
- Interactive map of the state assembly districts
- California legislative district maps from 1849 to the present
- California State Assembly at Ballotpedia
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